Article
Article
Gopher
Article By:
Curtin, Charles B. Department of Biology, Creighton University, Omaha, Nebraska.
Last reviewed:January 2020
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1036/1097-8542.295700
The name for any of the North American rodents of the family Geomyidae. There are 39 gopher species in 8 genera; 11 species are found in the United States. The distinctive name pocket gopher is applied to these animals because they have large, fur-lined cheek pouches that open outward on the side of the face. Two common species are the northern pocket gopher (Thomomys talpoides), a small burrowing species, most numerous in the western United States and Mexico, and the plains pocket gopher (Geomys bursarius) [see illustration]. See also: Rodentia
The content above is only an excerpt.
About AccessScience
AccessScience provides the most accurate and trustworthy scientific information available.
Recognized as an award-winning gateway to scientific knowledge, AccessScience is an amazing online resource that contains high-quality reference material written specifically for students. Contributors include more than 10,000 highly qualified scientists and 46 Nobel Prize winners.
MORE THAN 8700 articles covering all major scientific disciplines and encompassing the McGraw-Hill Encyclopedia of Science & Technology and McGraw-Hill Yearbook of Science & Technology
115,000-PLUS definitions from the McGraw-Hill Dictionary of Scientific and Technical Terms
3000 biographies of notable scientific figures
MORE THAN 19,000 downloadable images and animations illustrating key topics
ENGAGING VIDEOS highlighting the life and work of award-winning scientists
SUGGESTIONS FOR FURTHER STUDY and additional readings to guide students to deeper understanding and research
LINKS TO CITABLE LITERATURE help students expand their knowledge using primary sources of information
